Lake Elmer in Kingfisher County is full of water and the boat ramp is usable, according to fisheries personnel with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Until the most recent rains, the water level at Lake Elmer had remained too low to be usable for boaters.

The 55-acre lake has undergone a slate of recent renovations since being drained in 2009 — including stockings of catchable-size bass, sunfish and catfish.

“There is a fishable population in there now,” said John Stahl, northwest regional fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife Department.

Lake Elmer is one of 15 Wildlife Department-owned and managed lakes across the state, ranging from as small as 30 acres to more than 260 acres. It was last renovated in the late 1970s, but a 2009 fish kill all but ruined the lake as a fishery.

Using Wildlife Department personnel, the agency has since made many renovations at the lake including adding a courtesy dock near the boat ramp, rebuilding existing fishing jetties and constructing new ones.

The Wildlife Department’s law enforcement division helped secure donations and transportation for more than 100,000 tons of concrete that was used for rip-rap in the renovations.

Additionally, new fish habitat was installed including 200 brush piles and 100 spider blocks built and delivered by Dover FFA students.